Hollywood stars who went on a hiatus while at the top

Fans of One Direction seem directionless and heartbroken as the band is likely to take a break. But they aren’t the only young and popular stars that took a breather at the peak of their careers

Even the best of us sometimes need to take a step back and reflect on where our lives are going; one can even refer to it as a detoxification.

Earlier this week, Directioners the world over woke up to some sad rumours that One Direction might take a break next year for the members to focus on their individual careers. Apparently Zayn Malik’s departure from the band has made them a bit, er, fragile. We give you a few other Hollywood A-listers who left the silver screen albeit for a while:

Kristen StewartThe scrutiny that comes with being the female lead of Twilight and Robert Pattinson’s ex has got to get to you someday. Stewart announced last year that she wanted to quit acting to pursue ‘other creative endeavours’ like directing and poetry. However, the actress went on to star in movies like Still Alice and The Clouds of Sils Maria. The actress has even said that she considered quitting acting in her formative acting years because she couldn’t deal with rejection.

Ed SheeranThe fame and popularity Sheeran has managed to gain at the age of 23 can make anyone go green with envy. The Don’t singer, who climbed the music charts to become one of the most hunted artistes of his generation, said he wanted to take a break from music for a year to avoid overkill and have some ‘me’ time. Sheerios, as his fans proudly term themselves, obviously met the news with a box of tissues in tow.

Leonardo Di CaprioThis one could possibly take the cake. Can you imagine a cinematic world that exists without the likes of Inception or Shutter Island? Neither can we. But, it almost did happen. The actor considered quitting acting because he was considered ‘too hot’ after Titanic released. The actor went on record saying that he hated being objectified like that and that it disheartened him.

Emma WatsonThe Harry Potter starlet put her blooming career on a backburner after the hit series finale to finish her degree. Once she graduated though, Watson, one the most sought after young actresses, went back to making movies like Noah and Perks of Being a Wallflower which both did well.

Sandra BullockThe Miss Congeniality actress took a break from acting after her sordid and highly publicised divorce. She said that she was content being ‘permanently broken’ and that she wanted to stay away from the limelight to heal. But she also stated that the need to act was ‘louder than ever.’

Ryan GoslingThe Notebook actor and Internet sensation took a break from acting whilst stating that he had over saturated. In fact, he felt so strongly about it that he even went on record saying that ‘I need a break from myself as much as I imagine the audience does.’

Julia RobertsThe Pretty Woman actress and America’s original sweetheart put acting on a hold to spend more time with her family. While she did work in August Osage County, the thought of being away from her family and small children was too much to take for the actress.

Katherine HeiglA break from The Grey’s Anatomy almost resulted in her leaving the profession for good. The actress claims that she had so much fun being away that she didn’t miss acting much and that seeing her movies only made her grateful for her time in the industry and nothing else.